Track sander for locomotives



Jan. 25, 1944.} e. SITURNER TRACK SANDER FOR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Nov. 5,1942 Patented Jan. 25, 1944 TRACK SANDER FOR LOCOMOTIVES Guilford S.Turner, Chicago, 111., assig'nor to Morris B. Brewster 00., Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois ApplicationNovember 5, 1942, Serial No.464,573

2 Claims. (01. 291-16).

The invention relates to track sanders for locomotives. j

It is now common practice to provide sand-traps provided with nozzlesfor delivering air under pressure to discharge sand from the trap andthrough a pipe for delivering sand to the rails y and also with ductsfor short clean-out blasts .directly into the delivery pipes at thebeginning and end of each sanding operation and to control the air fromthe nozzle and for the clean-out blast from a single manually controlledoperator's valve. These operators valves have been constructed toinitiall control the delivery of air to the clean-out ducts or nozzlesin the traps and in succession to the sand-discharge'nozzles during asingle continuous movement of the lever on the operators valve. Inpractice it has been found that the turbulence produced, in thesandtraps by the clean-out air prior to the delivery of air to the sanddelivery nozzles frequently causes the sand to work back into the airline from the trap to the operating valve. into the operating valve whenthe latter is of the disk type is likely to reach the contactingsurfaces of the disk valve and its seat and produce cutting of saidsurfaces or to render the valve inefiicient.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide track sandingequipment of this type which comprises an operator's valve of the disktype which is provided with ports for successively controlling thedelivery of compressed air to the clean-out and sand delivery nozzlesand which is provided with simple and eiiicient means in-the operatorsvalve for causing a sum'cient but restricted flow of air to the sanddelivery nozzle while, and preferably before, air is delivered 'to theclean out duct to produce sufii'cientcounter pressure on the trap toprevent any sand from being forced back from the trap and through theSand so forced back sand delivery nozzles and the clean-out ducts ofapair of sand-traps.

Fig. '5 is a. view of the face of the valve disk which fits against thevalve seat in the casing, rotated into position to commerce the deliveryof air to the clean-out ducts, the outlet ports in the casing beingshown on dotted lines.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The invention is exemplified in sanding equipment which comprisesa'sand-trap 8 which is provided with an inlet leg for receiving sandfrom a'pipe 9 to which sand flows from a sand box in the dome of thelocomotive, as well understood in the art. The trap is provided with anoutlet 10 for sand to which is connected a pipe H for conducting sand toa track rail. A noz- 21c 12 in the sand-trap is adapted to deliver airunder pressure into the trap conduit to dis- 0 into pipe ll.

outlet -connections leading from the valve casing to the pipes fordelivering compressed air to the charge the sand through the dischargeduct I a An air pipe l3 from the operators valve is connected to thecasing of the trap to deliver air to the nozzle I2. A duct or nozzle I4is formed in the casing 8 to direct a clean-out blast into the pipe IIand a pipe I5 conducts air from the operators valve to said duct M.

The operators valve illustrated is adapted to control the supply ofcompressed air to thesand delivery nozzles l2 and the clean-out ducts Mof a pair of traps, only one of which is shown. This valve comprises acasing or body composed of an inlet section I 8 and an outlet section I9which are fixedly secured together by bolts 2c. The inlet section I8 isprovided with a chamber to which an inlet pipe 22 i connected forcompressed air from a supply tank, as well understood in the art. Theoutlet section IQ of the casing has connected thereto a pair of pipes l3for conducting an to the sand delivery nozzles 112 of a pair of traps 8,and a pair of pipes i 5 tor conducting air from the operators valve tothe clean-out ducts M of a pair of sand-traps 8. The inner face 23 ofthe casing section !9 is ground to form a flat seat for one face of the"valve disk .25 which controls the flow of compressed air from the inletsection Hi to the outlet section IQ of the valve casing. A spring 26 isinterposed between casing section l8 and a stud 2.! which engages thedisk 25 to hold the disk against the seat 23. A pair of ports 28 areformed in the outlet section H) of the casing which extend radially inand lead from the face 23 which forms the seat for the valve disk 25 tothe pipes l3 which conduct compressed air to the sand delivery nozzles[2 respectively. A pair of ports 29 in the outlet section I!) extendradially in and of the valve casing for delivering air to thesanddelivery nozzles I2, and with a pair of radially extendin outwardlydivergent through ports 3F which are adapted to register with the ports29.

in the outlet section of the casing when the disk has been rotatedapproximately 22 /2--from 'itsnormal position. A stem 32 isjournaled'inthe outlet section I 9 of the casing and provided with ahead 33 which fits in a socket in' the-disk 25;

and is adapted to rotate said disk. A lever 34 fixedly secured to theouter end of stem 32' and the casing section 9 is provided with stppss35 from limiting the throw of the leve'rito substantially 45".

A spring pressed detent or rollerg34 is slidably mounted in the handlelever 3 4Tan'd is adapted to enter notches 'in the casing. sectionl9 foryieldingly holding the lever 34 and disk 25 in normal and sandingpositions. When the lever 34 is in its normal position all ofv theports' in the valve seat 23 I will be 7 closed by disk 25. When thelever 34 is shifted to its sanding position the ports 3| in the disk 25will first uncover the ports 29 in the outlet section I9 f the casingand compressed air will pass through ports 29 and pipes I to theclean-out ducts I4 of the sand-traps and further movement of the handlever will rotate the disk to cover the ports 3| and bring the ports 30in disk 25 into registry with the ports 28 in casing section I9 andcause compressed 'air to flow through pipes I3 to the sander nozzles I2in the traps. y

The valve disk 25 is provided with a .pair'of small holes or throughports which communi cate with small arcuate grooves 31 formed in theface of the disk 25 which engages the seat 23. The grooves 31 extendarcuately in the face of the disk 25 a sufficient distance so that theywill lap the ports 28 preferably slightl before or as soon as the ports3| in disk 25 admitair to the ports 29 through which air flows tothecleanout nozzles and to continue the restricted stream of air throughports 36 and grooves-3] tothe ports 28 through which air flows to thesand delivery nozzles until after ports 3| in thedisk 25 have passed andclosed ports 29 and discontinued the supply of air to the clean-outducts. '7 As a result, during each full stroke of the lever 34 and itscorresponding rotation of disk 25 arestricted stream of air will flowthrough ports '36 and grooves 31 to the sand delivery nozzles prior to,during, and shortly after the clean-out blasts ports 3| to ports 29,during the flow of air through ports 3| and 29, and if desired slightlyafter said ports 29 have been closed, by the continued movement of thedisk and before the air flows through ports 30 and 28 to the sanddelivery nozzles a restricted and suificient flow of air will flowthrough holes 36 and grooves 31 from the cham- :beij ;I2-|;-' to theports 28 to deliver a restricted and suifi'cient flow of air to thesand-delivery nozzles to counteract the air from the clean-out ducts andthus prevent the sand in the traps from beingforced bapkwardly throughthe pipes I3 into the valve section" I9 and against the working face ofthe'disk,251 --The invention exemplifies simple and efficient means forcontrolling, during a full stroke of an operatorfsvalve, vthe successivedelivery of compressed air to the clean-out nozzles and the sanddeliverynozzles, and for producing a small but sufficient flow ofcompressed air to the sand delivery nozzle to oppose and preventthe'clean out blasts. fromjforcin air through the sandernoz- 'zlesto'the operators valve. This means is simple in'construction an'd'can beeasily applied to operators valvesof the disk type which are now in use;

;The invention is not to be understood as restricted to'the detailsherein set forth since these may be modifiedwithin the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit and scope oftheinvention.

which are controlled by the ports 3| in the disk After said stream iscut off the ports 30' will register with ports 28 andsupply air to thenozzles as long as the handle 34 is left in its" claim as new 'Havin'gthus described the invention, what I anddesire to secure by LettersPatentisz" 1. An operator svalve for manually controlling the deliveryofcompressed air to the sand-discharge nozzlean'd a clean-out duct of asand trap comprising a casing provided with a chamber supplied withcompressed air, a face forming a "seat, anoutlet'port leading from saidface for supplying air-tothe sand-discharge nozzle and an outlet portleading from said face for supply;-

ing a blast of air'to the clean-out duct, a manually rotatable valvedisk fitting said seat and provided with separate -through-portsarranged to register in rotative succession with the outlet port to thenozzle and the outlet port to the cleanout duct, and means in the diskfor delivering a ;restricted flow-of air to the. outlet port to thesand-discharge nozzle during the delivery of air tothe clean-out ductand before the disk is rotated into' position for delivering the blastof air to the nozzle.;-,

2, .An operators valve for manually controlling the,.de1ivery,ofcompressed air to the sand-discharge nozzle and a clean-out duct of asand trap comprising a casing provided with a chamber supplied withcompressed air, a face forming a .seat, -an.;outlet.;port leading fromsaid face for supplyihg'aintq the sand-discharge nozzle and anoutletport leading from said face for supplying a blast of air to theclean-out duct, and a manually rotatable valve disk fitting said seat,provided with through-ports arranged to register in 'rotative successionwith the outlet ports to the nozzle and to the clean-out duct, and witha restricted port through and a channel in the face on the seat fordelivering a restricted flow of air to the outlet port to thesand-discharge nozzle during the-delivery of air to the clean-out ductand before the disk is rotated into position for delivering the blastofair to the nozzle.

GUILFORD S. TURNER.

